


Hope in Time

by Emerald



Category: Moonlight (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-30
Updated: 2011-08-30
Packaged: 2017-10-23 06:49:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/247385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emerald/pseuds/Emerald
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after a car accident that kills Beth, Mick looks to Josef for distraction, and hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hope in Time

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 20 established relationships community on LiveJournal

It’s late; darkness envelops the room as Mick makes his way groggily to the shower. He’d awoken with a start; unbroken sleep was a rare commodity these days. Adjusting the temperature of the water, Mick steps under the spray, and rests his forehead against the cool porcelain tiles.

 _“Tell me how, Josef. Tell me how I’m supposed to go on.”_

 _“You find whatever hope you can, no matter how small, and you grab it with both hands, Mick, and never let go.”_

Mick closes his eyes as he replays the conversation in his mind. Hope, what hope? Hope had been lost the day she was gone. How was he supposed to grab onto something he wasn’t even sure existed.

“Give it time.”

The shower door opens; Mick quickly turns to find Josef leaning against the door’s metal frame. “You know I don’t like you sensing my thoughts, how about a little privacy for once,” he snaps without thinking.

“Sorry, force of habit,” Josef parries back with a disarming smile and then steps into the cubicle.

“Your suit,” Mick mutters almost as an afterthought as Josef presses him back against the shower wall.

“I have three more just like it,” Josef dismisses Mick’s concerns with the facetious arch of an eyebrow, and then brushes his lips against Mick’s own. “You okay?” He asks then, as he leans back and studies Mick’s expression.

For a moment Mick considers lying. He’s too tired, too weary from old memories to go through with the charade. Instead he shakes his head, and musters a weak smile.

“No, not really.”

“You need something to take your mind off things?” Josef places his lips against Mick’s ear then, whispers seduction. His hand meanders down the front of Mick’s torso, stops and teases just above Mick’s pubic line, and then quests lower.

Distraction, they were getting good at this game. Mick stifles a cynical laugh, and groans when Josef’s hand closes around the shaft of his cock. He’s hard at the first stroke. Mick lets his eyes fall shut, and settles into a steady rhythm, hips undulating in time with Josef’s ministrations as he curls his lip, his groans gradually shifting to soft snarls, and muttered words of approval.

Josef kisses those lips then, his mouth pressed gently against Mick’s own, clothes saturated from the water spray overhead, his skin and hair soaked wet as he holds Mick close.

Something doesn’t feel right. Mick expects Josef’s kisses to roughen, turn violent, leave his mouth bruised and sore. Instead it’s beginning to feel uncomfortably like love.

“Don’t,” Mick brings a sudden halt to proceedings. “Not like this.”

“Like what, exactly?” Josef takes a step back, and arches a questioning eyebrow. And then the penny drops. “Ah, I see,” a brief snort of amusement, and Josef shifts back towards Mick, a knowing grin set in place, “god forbid you should be reminded of things like emotions, oh shadowy one.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Mick protests as Josef grips the back of his neck, hard, and pulls him into a rough embrace.

“Of course you didn’t,” Mick’s head hits the shower wall behind him with a soft thud, as Josef pushes him hard up against it.

“You’re still dressed,” Mick points out almost sheepishly. They separate for a second time. Josef makes a show of removing his clothing, slowly peeling off each wet layer as he watches Mick’s inability to keep from gripping his cock in sheer frustration.

“I suppose we could just stand here, and watch each other jerk off.” Stripped naked, Josef slouches elegantly back against the bathroom wall opposite Mick, the line of his mouth drawn into a ribald smile.

“Fuck you,” Mick grits his teeth and shoots back.

“Now there’s a thought.”

In one fluid rush of movement, Josef shifts back towards Mick, gathers him up in another tumultuous embrace, his nose pressed against the pulse point in Mick’s throat, growling as he scents the blood that flows beneath.

For a moment Mick thinks of asking, “Why?” Why did Josef insist on complicating everything with reminders of emotion, why couldn’t it just be sex?

His own mind answers that question for him.

 _Because it’s not just sex, it hasn’t been just sex for the past year._

Distraction, companionship, love – something they did, because they didn’t know what else to do - Mick wasn’t sure which it was. All he knew was they’d thrown the idea of sex between them being just that, and nothing more, out the window a long time ago.

Mick tries to not think about that. Instead he focuses on the feeling of Josef’s hand wrapped once more around his shaft, the sensation of his cock being coated in some viscous substance, Josef’s lips pressed against his ear, enticing.

“You can fuck me if you like.”

Mick is taken aback by the offer, “But you never -,” he starts to say.

“I’m making an exception,” Josef quickly interjects. “So how about you pretend I’m a gift horse and don’t look me in the mouth.”

Josef turns around, braces his hands against the tiles as Mick positions himself behind. He draws a sharp breath, and hisses at the initial sting of penetration. And then he’s pushing his arse back against Mick’s groin, encouraging Mick to go deeper.

“Come on, are we doing this or not?” Josef growls in frustration when Mick’s slowness to respond makes it clear they’ll be taking the scenic routine.

“Yeah okay, keep your fangs in;” Mick huffs impatiently, “maybe I might just like to savour the moment.”

“And maybe I might like to have an orgasm sometime this century.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re very demanding sometimes,” Mick retaliates, and then steps up the pace enough to elicit Josef’s approval. “Better?”

“Much,” Josef responds cheekily, and then snakes an arm behind Mick’s head as he leans back, and directs Mick’s face towards his. The kiss is awkward, a contorted scraping of lips and fangs. Mick places one arm across Josef’s chest, the other around his waist, holding tight as he gradually builds pace.

“Harder,” Josef issues a heated demand. Mick complies, his chest vibrating with the sensation of Josef purring against him. He takes a moment to revel in the noises they make, humanity mixed with something far more primal, the animalistic sounds that issue from their throats. Somewhere amidst his haze of pleasure Mick is aware of Josef’s hand slipping down to his cock, stroking himself in sync with the rhythm Mick’s setting. Mick finds himself slipping into another realm then, time seems to speed up, and yet hangs in the balance. He presses Josef forward, grips onto Josef’s hips for leverage, slams into him at a furious pace. And then they’re falling over the edge, coming together in a howling mess of blood and semen, fangs slicing into one another’s flesh.

“You know that wasn’t as bad as I remember it,” Josef remarks with casual interest as Mick withdraws. “I thought I was going to have to grit my teeth through a lot more pain.”

“You know I still can’t believe a vampire of your age is so bothered by pain,” Mick stretches out on a towel on the bathroom floor, and shakes his head in disbelief. “You’d think you’d be used to it by now.”

“Well giving is different to receiving, Mick,” Josef musters a world-weary smile, and joins Mick alongside. “Haven’t I already told you that?”

“Yeah, you have.” Mick’s expression shifts to contemplation then, “So how long has it been since you’ve…”

“Bottomed?” Josef shrugs, “I don’t know, a hundred years, maybe?”

“A hundred…” Mick breaks off, and furrows his brow, “Then why -?”

“- Why with you?”

“Yeah.”

Josef shifts nearer, his head rested in the crook of Mick’s shoulder, “Why not? Besides you needed the distraction, it took your mind off things, didn’t it?”

“Yeah it did,” Mick nods his agreement, and then falls quiet for a moment. “It’s been a year, you know, since the accident.’

“I know,” Josef circles an absent minded hand across Mick’s chest. “I’ve been keeping an eye on the date. I figured this time of year was going to be difficult for you.”

“Well thank you.”

“And?” Josef props himself up on one shoulder, and raises an eyebrow at Mick, “Are you any closer to not blaming yourself for what happened?”

“I was the one driving that night, Josef,” Mick responds as if nothing else needs to be said. A year ago he’d been driving the car Beth had been killed in. The jury had already deliberated, guilty as charged.

“You were run off the road,” Josef counters. “You killed the guy responsible. It’s not your fault, let it go, Mick.”

“Just like you let your guilt over Sarah go so quickly.”

Mick has Josef then. Josef forces an accepting smile, and mutters a quick, “Touché.”

“I just need more time,” Mick says then. “Isn’t that what you told me once, give it time?”

“I also told you to find whatever hope you could, and hang onto it.” Josef stands up, reaches out a hand for Mick to take.

“Maybe that’s what I’m doing with you,” Mick takes Josef’s proffered hand in both of his, and lets Josef pull him to his feet. “Still doesn’t mean I don’t need time, Josef.”

“Hope in time, hey Mick?” Josef is surprised at Mick’s admittance; still he tries not to let it show.

“Something like that. So where are we headed now?” Mick chuckles briefly, and then asks.

“Bedroom,” Josef replies matter of fact, “I’m beginning to think I’m in need of some distraction.”

“You know you’re -”

“–What, demanding? So I’ve been told.”

“I was going to say a lot nicer than you pretend to be,” Mick offers Josef a pointed smile as he follows Josef’s lead.

“Yes, it’s all just teddy bears and fluffy kittens with me,” Josef waves a hand through the air, and acid tongues. “And if you ever say anything publicly about this theory of niceness you’ve got going on, I might just have to kill you. I have a reputation to protect you know.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Mick tries to look serious, and then pauses. “Josef?”

“Oh Christ, what now?” Josef lets go of Mick’s hand, and throws his own up in frustration.

“Nothing, I just wanted to say thank you.”

“Oh,” Josef manages to look sheepish for a moment, and then brightens. “What are friends for.”

“Just friends?” Mick teases, and gives Josef a lopsided smile as Josef brushes a stray lock of hair from Mick’s forehead.

“Hey, give it time,” Josef doesn’t miss a beat, “there’s always hope, right?”


End file.
